Book-binding



MEGEE.

BOOK BINDING,

Pat entedJJune '7, 1887.

W1 TNES 5E3 UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW J. MEGEE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE MILLER MEGEE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE. I

BOOK-BINDING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 364,624, dated June .7, 1887.

Application filed January 2, 1884. Serial No. 116,183. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW J. MEGEE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Book-Binding, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of a book in which the leaves of one or more of the front or rear signatures, stitched together at the back edges, are combined and bound with a mass of ordinary signatures, substantially in the manner and for the purpose explained hereinafter.

In binding books it has been a common practice to place together the leaves of two or more of the first signatures at and near their back edges, as well as the leaves of two or more of the last signatures, preparatory to stitching them with ordinary intervening signatures to the binding-cords, the object being to strengthen the front and back joints of the book. This object, however, is in a measure frustrated by the stiffness imparted to the leaves by the paste, which often induces the breaking of the joints, the signatures which are pasted together tearing away from those which are simply stitched to the binding-cords. It has also been a common practice to whipstitch or overseam some of the first and some of the last signatures of a book at the back edges; but whip-stitches afford little or no protection against tearing of the leaves, and hence they have been used in connection with paste. In fact, whipstitching is always more or less irregular, so that when a whipstitched book is opened there is always a tendency to tear the stitched sections, according to the irregularity of the stitches. The whipstitching also forms a ridge along the back edge when the cover is put on, and this ridge, made still more prominent by paste, would act as a fulcrum on the front and last sections of the book, when opened, to bring an extra strain upon the binding and soon cause the tearing of the leaves from the front and back sections. In

order to overcome these difficulties, I dispense with the use of paste entirely, and I stitch a few of the first signatures of the book together with straight-ahead stitches, on a line parallel with the rear edges'of the signatures, and I do the like with a few of the last signafirst signature containing the plate.

however, to stitch two or more of the signatures of the book. These stitched signatures at the front and the back are then bound in with the intermediate signatures in the ordinary way..

In the accompanying drawing, A represents a mass of signatures arranged to be stitched to the binding-cords a in the usual manner, and B, a series ofsignatures forming the first pages of the book, while B represents a series of signatures forming the last pages.

Instead of pasting the signaturesB together at, their back edges in the usual manner, I stitch them together on the dotted lines at with straight-ahead stitches, and the same with the last signatures B, after which these stitched signatures are bound together with the intermediate unstitched signatures to form the book in the ordinary way. By this plan the first and last signatures are properly men forced where they are subjected to the greatest strain, the objectionable stiffness due to the paste is obviated, and the ridge formed by the whip-stitches and paste is avoided. Moreover, the objectionable tearing out of the leaves found in all whipstitched books is obviated.

The straight-ahead stitches detract in no way from the flexibility of the first and last leaves of the book where they are united.

I use this improvement on books either with or without plates; but in books where plates are used it may be sufficient to stitch only the I prefer,

tures even in this case.

I claim as my invention- A book having one or more of the front signatures stitched together by straight-ahead stitches ata short distance from and in line with the rear edge of said signatures, and one or more of the back signatures similarly stitched and bound together with intermediate ordinary signatures, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ANDREW J. MEGEE.

Witnesses:

- JOHN M. CLAYTON,

HARRY SMITH. 

